New Hearing Aids

pinterest.com

They've come a long way from the old ear trumpet.   I used to hold my hand behind my ear to capture voices that were faint.  Now, I have two coordinated electronic devices which communicate with one another without wires or any visible means of transmission.  If I raise the volume on one side, the other ear increases at the same time.  It's magic.

My old units had a zebra pattern, which blended nicely with my salt-and-pepper hair.  Since my hair has become more salt than pepper over the past four years, my new devices are pure silver.  The audiologist called the manufacturer to be certain that the zebra stickers were unavailable before I decided to become comfortable with this new, more mundane, look.

Not that anyone can really see them; they fit behind my ears and are covered by my hair.  Still, as I plug in my ears and my eyes in the morning I long for the days when all my parts worked well.

These new devices are programmable and today, on my first assessment visit after the initial calibration session last month, I asked for help with hearing the kids in the car and help with the television in my cavernous living room.  Now, with the press of a button on either ear, I can direct the microphone to my right to catch the voices in the passenger seat.  If I press it twice, the microphone is directed straight ahead, to pick up the audio from the tv before it bounces around the uneven surfaces of my house.

I tried it out on TBG this afternoon and we were both smiling by the end of the test.  Technology is wonderful, we decided.

These new devices came with their own special re-charging kit.  That's right; I no longer need to deal with those teeny tiny discs.  The new packaging was annoying, too.  I turned the wheel and all the

walmart.com

batteries spilled out on the counter.  I was stumbling across them for days. Now, I put my devices into their own special charger when I turn off the lights at night and when I awake, they are charged and ready to go for a full 24 hours.  

Plus, the charging case has a little fan which dries them off.  And the case is green inside!

I suppose if I have to use assistive devices, they might as well make me smile.